--- title: "The Sword and the Sorcerer" year: 1982 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer" fi1m_id: "the-sword-and-the-sorcerer" imdb_id: "tt0084749" tmdb_id: 13945 wikidata_id: "Q1896093" fi1m_score: 45 critics_score: 50 critics_reviews: 4 published: "2026-10-04T18:02:36.649441+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T18:02:43.997686+00:00" region: "CA" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) Directed by Albert Pyun · 1h 40m · Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror ## Identity The Sword and the Sorcerer - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-sword-and-the-sorcerer - **IMDb ID:** tt0084749 - **TMDB ID:** 13945 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1896093 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084749/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13945, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1896093 **Fi1m score: 45** · Critics 50 (early) from 4 reviews *In a sentence:* The gore is welcome whenever it means someone has stopped talking > Albert Pyun’s bloody fantasy offers some crude entertainment, but stiff acting and laborious dialogue make it difficult to recommend. The music helps more than the writing, which is not much of a contest. ## Synopsis A kingdom is ruled by evil, a princess is enslaved by passion and a warrior is driven by justice. *The Sword and the Sorcerer* brings together Talon (Lee Horsley), Alana (Kathleen Beller) and Mikah (Simon MacCorkindale), alongside Cromwell (Richard Lynch), Xusia (Richard Moll) and Machelli (George Maharis). Their conflict belongs to a fantasy adventure that also draws on action and horror. Directed by Albert Pyun, the film runs for 100 minutes and carries an 18 certificate, with the struggle over a kingdom providing the setting for its promise of justice. ## Review Albert Pyun’s *The Sword and the Sorcerer* is a cumbersome fantasy adventure with a taste for gore and too little pleasure in its characters. At 100 minutes, it ought to be a fairly painless proposition for anyone willing to accept an evil kingdom and a warrior driven by justice. The blood supplies some crude entertainment, but the dialogue and performances make the stretches between those pleasures feel longer than they should. There is enough enthusiasm to make its shortcomings disappointing rather than merely predictable. The screenplay, credited to John V. Stuckmeyer, Tom Karnowski and Albert Pyun, mistakes cumbersome speech for a convincing fantasy setting. There is nothing inherently wrong with characters speaking formally in an invented kingdom; the difficulty is making those words sound as though someone might choose to say them. Here, too much of the dialogue advertises its own importance. It takes concentration to get through lines that ought to be helping a simple adventure along. Lee Horsley is a less engaging Talon than this sort of adventure needs, although the script gives him an awkward task. Heroic declarations need either conviction or a little humour, and the acting too often supplies neither. Kathleen Beller’s Alana and Simon MacCorkindale’s Mikah are similarly hampered by lines that sound laborious rather than grand. We kept wishing the characters would say what they meant without making such a performance of it. Joseph Mangine’s cinematography is more convincing when serving the horror than when trying to sustain the adventure. The gore makes an impression, and at least the film does not seem embarrassed by its nastier interests. That willingness to be unpleasant gives it some force when the acting threatens to flatten everything. Too often, though, the violence becomes the principal reason to pay attention, with little interest surviving once the characters resume their exchanges. Marshall Harvey’s editing does not solve the problem of pace. The dialogue feels slow because it is uninteresting, and cutting around it can only do so much. We grew impatient with the medieval phrasing: it makes the characters sound alike when they ought to be establishing their differences. The action-adventure element needs a briskness that the writing repeatedly denies it, leaving the film dependent on its bloodier attractions to restore our interest. David Whitaker’s music is a more agreeable contribution, giving the fantasy some of the enthusiasm missing from the exchanges between the actors. There is an effort here to make the material feel worth taking seriously. That effort deserves acknowledgement, even when the words do not. The music encourages us to accept the imaginary kingdom, but the film still needs to give its inhabitants something more engaging to say. Against the modest requirements of a sword-and-sorcery adventure, the failure is fairly basic. We need a hero worth following, danger with some force and enough momentum to carry us past the nonsense. Pyun understands the attraction of the bloodier material, but his film spends too much time struggling with speech. Try it only if gore is your chief interest; the adventure is harder to enjoy. *Fi1m score 45, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Sword and the Sorcerer worth watching?** *The Sword and the Sorcerer* offers some crude entertainment for gore enthusiasts, but we find it difficult to recommend and score it 45/100. The music gives the fantasy some enthusiasm, while stiff performances and laborious dialogue make the adventure drag between its bloodier moments. **How long is The Sword and the Sorcerer, and what is it rated?** *The Sword and the Sorcerer* runs 1h 40m. It is an action and adventure film. **Where can I watch The Sword and the Sorcerer in Canada?** *The Sword and the Sorcerer* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi in Canada, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from CA$3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Sword and the Sorcerer, and is it suitable for children?** *The Sword and the Sorcerer* carries a UK 18 certificate and is unsuitable for children, with bloody violence and gore central to its appeal. We find its horror more forceful than its adventure; the nastier material makes an impression, so this is a poor choice for squeamish viewers. **How does The Sword and the Sorcerer compare to Excalibur?** *The Sword and the Sorcerer* offers crude, gory entertainment, but we recommend [*Excalibur*](https://film.one/film/excalibur) as the more involving sword-and-sorcery film. Both demand patience with solemn speech, though *Excalibur* offers more rewarding performances and photography; it suits an appetite for Arthurian swordplay and dangerous magic, even when its characters get lost in the spectacle. **What should I watch after The Sword and the Sorcerer?** After *The Sword and the Sorcerer*, try [*Excalibur*](https://film.one/film/excalibur) (1981, Fi1m 79): For Arthurian swordplay, dangerous magic and a more solemn evening. Then [*The Green Knight*](https://film.one/film/the-green-knight) (2021, Fi1m 78): For a slower journey through chivalry, temptation and unsettling magic. ### Reviews we read (4) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the page text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer-1982) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The article text was inaccessible, so its verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint could be verified from the available page. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/07/movies/fantasy-the-sword-and-the-sorcerer.html) - **Time Out**, RMy (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a film review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (10/100, inferred): The critic pans the film as a gory, poorly acted pseudo-epic. They single out its lackluster script, dimwitted dialogue, and medieval gibberish for complaint. [Read](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer-1200425079/) ## Details - **Director:** Albert Pyun - **Director:** Albert Pyun - **Screenplay:** John V. Stuckmeyer, Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski - **Cinematography:** Joseph Mangine - **Editor:** Marshall Harvey - **Music:** David Whitaker - **Producer:** Marianne Chase, Brandon Chase, Mark L. Rosen - **Cast:** Lee Horsley as Talon; Kathleen Beller as Alana; Simon MacCorkindale as Mikah; George Maharis as Machelli; Richard Lynch as Cromwell; Richard Moll as Xusia; Anthony De Longis as Rodrigo; Robert Tessier as Verdugo - **Runtime:** 1h 40m - **First release (the US):** 1 April 1982 - **Genres:** Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $39 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DREG0dOW8jw ## Where to watch in Canada - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Tubi: free, hd - Apple TV: rent CA$3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy CA$8.99, sd *Checked 2026-10-04.* Also available in: AT, AU, CA, DE, EC, ES, FR, GB, MX, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Excalibur* (1981), Fi1m 79: For Arthurian swordplay, dangerous magic and a more solemn evening. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/excalibur.md) - *The Beastmaster* (1982): Another sword-and-sorcery adventure, with animal companions joining the usual dangers. - *Dragonslayer* (1981): For dangerous sorcery and a dragon that warrants the concern. - *Onibaba* (1964): For the horror-minded, a harsher encounter with violence and superstition. - *The Green Knight* (2021), Fi1m 78: For a slower journey through chivalry, temptation and unsettling magic. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-green-knight.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-sword-and-the-sorcerer